UR TV CAST

From the same vintage, the 1994 Graham’s Malvedos, pounds 17.99-pounds 19.99, Co-op, Victoria Wine, is another single quinta port with sumptuously rich fruit and heartwarmingly raisiny richness combining complexity, flavour and smooth, superripe fruit in a magnificent glass of wine. Buy it at the Co-op for pounds 17.99 and they throw in a bottle of Cava.Fonseca Guimaraens is not strictly speaking a single quinta Port No matter. The 1983 Fonseca Guimaraens Late Bottled Vintage, pounds 14.45, Waitrose, is a lusciously mature, concoction of liquid raisin, prune, toffee and walnut. As an alternative, try the Fonseca Aged 20 years Setubal, on special offer at pounds 14.99 at Majestic, where it’s normally pounds 15.99.

The intense creme brulee and coffee aromas of this Madeira-like fortified sticky are followed on to the palate by a lingering smoky coffee and toffee-like fruitiness. If you’re the solitary port lover in the family, venture into the New World and revel in Penfolds Magill Tawny, pounds 5.99, Safeway, Victoria Wine. Standing in its cute, dumpy-looking half-bottle, it’s a little gem, full of raisin and coffee fudge-like sweetness and spice. There’s more to improvisation than standing up and impersonating something strange a la `Whose Line is it Anyway?’ Good improvisers construct a narrative, and best of all, they can teach you how to do it, too

Whose Line Is It Anyway? has given improvisation a bad name. According to David Bourn, a member of the hard-core improvisational troupe, London Theatresports, “true impro is all about narrative skills and building a story.

Whose Line Is It Anyway? is more like party games and you can only take that for so long.”
Very much a purist, Bourn reckons that pub impro has also sullied the art’s reputation. “In a pub, if you ask audiences to suggest jobs, they always shout out `prostitute’ You don’t get that in the theatre. When people aren’t drunk, they don’t tolerate a lot of smut.”More and more people, he claims, are getting the impro bug. London Theatresports now runs regular workshops – pitched at three different levels of expertise – for would-be improvisers. They are also hosting a masterclass in “long- form impro” led by Bob Kulhan from Chicago’s Second City, the celebrated impro club that spawned the likes of Hollywood star Bill Murray and George Wendt, who plays Norm in Cheers.Bourn tries to account for the sudden popularity of impro. “A lot of people treat it like a night-class or a social thing,” he says “But it could also be like therapy.

It’s not often that you get a chance to try in ordinary life the things you can do in impro. Obviously, people don’t work out their marital problems on stage, but one of the things I like about impro is that you know at some point you’re going to fail. The audience don’t mind, as long as you’ve tried your best – and I find that therapeutic.”Also, not having to say other people’s lines is a bonus,” he continues “There’s no limit to the emotions you can play You get free rein to do what you want. If you’ve got a creative bent, then it’s better than being in a play You’re creating your own new show every week.